Corporate tours have their own rhythm: meetings overrun and schedules are dynamic. Requests for tours often come at the last minute when some time frees up. I work to those constraints. We finish when we said we’d finish; I adjust things live in the field; discretion is guaranteed.
A background that translates
Before guiding, I spent four years in marketing at Procter & Gamble (the move from London to Tel Aviv was a P&G posting, in 2010). Alongside guiding, since 2020, I’ve also held marketing roles at several Israeli tech companies (Wix, Artlist, Guesty, Bria AI) and founded a startup myself. So when a delegation arrives wanting to understand the Israeli innovation story after a morning of meetings, I can talk to them in a language they recognise.
Flexibility on the day
Trips are normally planned in advance by an executive assistant. On meeting the client it sometimes becomes clear they have a specific interest the brief didn’t quite capture; I adjust the day around it without losing the timing. If there’s an unexpected business need to take a phone call, I’ll step back, give you privacy and pick up when you’re ready.
Access where it helps
12 years of working with corporate guests has built up a useful network: private after-hours visits at major archaeological sites, entry to areas normally closed to the public, introductions to people who aren’t on a public itinerary. Where the client schedule needs that kind of arrangement, it’s usually possible with notice.
Who I’ve guided
Past clients have included senior leaders from P&G, Google, Microsoft and Mastercard; a delegation of high-ranking music industry executives and corporate VIP guests of UK Israel Business for the Chief Executive’s office. I work a lot with local VCs and startups to help them host foreign visitors and investors.
Tour examples
A 5am pick-up, a whistle-stop Old City, and back for the 9am meeting
Four senior executives from a Fortune-100 company, in Israel for two days of back-to-back meetings; what they really wanted, despite the schedule, was the Old City. We met outside their Tel Aviv hotel at 5am and drove up in the dark. A whistle-stop through the Old City highlights (the Mount of Olives at sunrise, the Garden of Gethsemane, the Western Wall, the Holy Sepulchre) and they were back in the meeting room with minutes to spare for the 9am.
A Jerusalem evening, after meetings wrapped
A C-suite executive of a global tech company, with a meeting day in Tel Aviv that finished at 5pm. We headed up to Jerusalem for the Old City at dusk; the usual sites, paced for the time we had. Through advance arrangement I’d secured private after-hours access to one of the country’s major archaeological sites, including areas normally closed to the public. The evening read very differently from a daytime visit.
Two days by helicopter, with the family
The founder of a major global VC fund flew his family in for two days of touring on the back of a meetings trip, with a brief that read: see as much of the country as possible. We hired a helicopter. Across the two days we covered Jerusalem, the Negev (Masada, the Dead Sea coastline from the air), the Golan and the Galilee. A real picture of the country at a pace that would have been impossible by road.
What people say
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“First-class feedback from our VIP guests”
We commissioned Samuel to guide corporate VIP guests of UK Israel Business around Jerusalem and received first class feedback from our guests. I wouldn’t hesitate to engage with Samuel again and look forward to next time.
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“We knew we could trust him with our VIPs, and he excelled.”
We commissioned Samuel to take some major corporate VIPs on a private tour of Jerusalem and received first class feedback from them.
They found Samuel to be hugely knowledgable, totally engaging and full of insights. We knew we’d be able to trust Samuel with our VIP guests, and he excelled in this task. He was a pleasure to work with in the planing for this trip.
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“A 5am start and a can-do attitude, with not a minute wasted.”
I called Samuel at short notice to see if he could help provide a tour for me and some important business guests from overseas. As part of a 24 hour visit to Tel Aviv for meetings they had decided at the last minute that they would like to visit Jerusalem. Samuel was extremely flexible and I very much appreciated his can-do attitude, even when it meant leaving Tel Aviv at 5am the next day!
He was considerate, asking if we would prefer some guiding or would rather sleep on the way to Jerusalem; and when we asked for the guiding he made sure to use the journey time well to provide some great background for our visit. This meant that when we arrived in the Old City we were able to delve straight in to the holy sites. Samuel was able to synthesize the key information and help us understand and appreciate the sites we visited, despite the short amount of time we had there. In just 90 minutes we were able to visit the Western Wall, enjoy a great viewpoint over the Temple Mount with an in depth explanation, and explore the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
Crucially, Samuel kept track of the time and made sure that we were back in Tel Aviv in time for our meetings, without making us feel rushed or under pressure.
I cannot recommend Samuel highly enough. He was entertaining, informative and bonded well with our group. Most importantly, he focused on our needs and interests and ensured we had a great tour within the restraints that we had. I will certainly be using his services in the future.
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“A few free hours, managed perfectly.”
As we were in Israel for Business we managed to free up few hours to visit Jerusalem. Sam managed 2 things perfectly :
1. During the transit between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem, he went through the history of Jerusalem and explained very well how history has shaped this city. This was key to understand what we saw
2. The tour which we made in the city went very effectively through most of the key landmarks.I really recommend Sam and will for sure keep his details closely to share with any friends visiting Israel.
